From my usual perch at Momo Bar and spied this young lad taking a hearty sip of milk tea. If there’s one thing a growing toddler needs it’s a good hit of sugar and caffeine. Welcome to China.
Grandparents are generally the caregivers of their grandchildren. While mother and father are out making money, granny or grandpa are at home with the kids. An afternoon visit to the playground features a stunning contrast in ages: Wrinkled faces that witnessed the Cultural Revolution chat as wee ones climb, laugh and cry. There are domestics, mostly rural village girls, but they are not as prevalent as the Filipina, Malaysian and Indonesian domestics in Hong Kong.
A year from now I will be able to take this photo of Grandmother Stevo and still-percolating Baby Stevo. Mrs. Stevo’s mother will be coming to live with us. This raises some issues. Grandmother Stevo speaks neither English or Mandarin, only her village dialect that I find impossible difficult to understand. And, Chinese child-rearing is not the something I want to comment on. I’ll hypothesize: If Dr. Spock’s work has been translated it hasn’t been read. The One-child policy has led to a lot of spoiled children but not a sparing of the rod.
Mrs. Stevo returned from the hospital yesterday with a fresh ultrasound pic. I’m not being unkind when I say the 1.5 pound Baby Stevo looks like some sort of bizarre sea creature. Ultrasound images are about as flattering as photos of yours truly.
This image was shot “on the sly” with a Phottix Hero Wireless Live View Remote.
i don’t know about china, but in taiwan they also make boba milk… it’s tapioca balls in fresh milk which is still sweet and gives kids that chewy satisfaction but without the tea. when shaken, it looks just like milk tea. not the best thing in the world for toddlers, but i’ve seen people give their toddlers soda in the states.
If only Grandmother madame donna had such beautiful skin! I hasten to add that my very Jewish grandmother fed me the equivalent of the Chinese Milk Tea—Russian Milk Coffee with sugar cubes held between the tongue and teeth while one sipped that tooth staining caffeine straight through the sugar cube. Ah, bliss.
.-= madame donna´s last blog ..Twisted Indian Kheema Salad =-.
Nice. I’d like to try a cup.
Ah..I have been away too long, I see..you are to be a daddy 🙂 How perfectly wonderful!
I spent a lot of my childhood with my grandmother too..and we shared tea too.
.-= AJ´s last blog ..The man who stayed awake =-.
Yes, wonderful and scary.
I drank a lot of tea at grandmother’s house. None of it milky or sweet, alas.